Social Media News Roundup: Who is Sharing Nearly 9,000 Images Per Second?

Amy Dugmore takes a closer look at the top social media marketing news from the past seven days, including Facebook’s Buy Button beta testing and Snapchat Vs Instagram on photo posts

Snapchat: 8,796 Images Per Second

Where are users posting the most photos? Snapchat vs. Instagram vs. Whatsapp. Research by Photoworld has the answer – and it might not be who you think.

Snapchat topped the image sharing charts, with 8,796 images shared every second. Whatsapp came next, with 8,102 images shared per second – almost double the number shared on Facebook during the same timeframe, which is a comparatively paltry 4,501. Still, all three platforms outperformed Instagram. Despite the network’s position as a photography-focused platform, users share an average 810 images per second.

Facebook’s Shopify takes on Pinterest Buyable Pins

Facebook has extended its Buy Button to more retailers via the Shopify platform. The social network has been testing the Buy feature in ads for a while, but has now made it available to a wider number of brands.

The Buy Button now shows in Facebook page posts and promoted post ads run by Shopify merchants. The button means that users never have to leave the confines of Facebook to complete their purchase, as they can buy instantly providing their payment details are on file with Facebook.

At present, Facebook is beta testing the buy button with US-based Shopify merchants but it probably won’t be too long before UK users can click and buy from their newsfeed.

Noise Reduction from Twitter

Twitter is making it easier for users to filter out the noise, thanks to its latest tweak. Product Manager Akarshan Kumar took to the company’s blog to explain the recent change:

“Conversations surrounding a Tweet, particularly if they’ve sparked lots of replies and disparate conversations, can be hard to follow. So, we’re doing a few things to make this much easier: grouping conversations together and highlighting some of the most interesting exchanges surrounding a given Tweet right below that Tweet. To surface some of the most interesting conversations, we’ll take factors into account like whether the original account has replied.”

On the Tweet page, Tweets that are part of a conversation are connected by a line. Users who want to view more replies within the conversation simply click “View other replies”.

The feature is already being rolled out online and will be available on mobile apps in the near future.

Facebook Beacons Offer Place Tips for Businesses

Facebook has begun a big push on its Place Tips feature, by offering free Bluetooth beacon devices to businesses.

Place Tips was launched in January this year, with an initial trial in New York City, where more than 100 businesses participated. The feature is designed to show users information about where they are at any given moment. For example, a user walking along a New York street might see recommendations related to nearby restaurants or shops, including menu details or upcoming events.

Place Tips is currently only available via Apple devices – although Facebook is already working on an Android compatible version. It is rolling out across the US, but we will keep you posted on when the Bluetooth beacons hit the UK.